Appeal 3351423

The Council described the proposal as ‘render and cladding to house. Porch extension with pitched roof’. As this wording more succinctly describes the appeal proposal than the description above, it has been used in this decision.

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for ‘Render and cladding to house. Porch extension with pitched roof’ at [site address] , Worcestershire [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 24/00444/FUL, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision.

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: RD 23 118 1 A _ [site address] , RD 23 118 2 _ [site address] and RD 23 118 3 _ [site address] .

The Council raises no objection to the pitched roof porch extension and there are no reasons to disagree. Therefore, the main issue in this appeal is the effect of the proposed rendering and cladding on the character and appearance of the host property and the surrounding area.

The majority of houses in the street scene comprise red brickwork. Some also have panels of lighter brick detailing, as in the case of the appeal property (No 63). Within the locality are other houses where the frontage or the entire property has been rendered. There are also examples of rendered features such as bay windows or gables and other detailing.

[address] slopes down past No 63 which also stands on higher ground than the neighbouring bungalow. The appeal property is prominent within the street scene in both directions along [address] and from the junction with [address] which lies opposite. There are long views of both the front and the side elevations of No 63.

It is proposed to use render on the external walls of No 63 and to clad a section of its frontage with a dark oak finish. The proposed render on all the elevations of No 63 would stand out from the immediately neighbouring brick properties. However, the prevailing local character is of no particular design quality. There is no real sense of homogeneity that could arise from the use of a more consistent palette of external materials. Given that render is part of the street scene on [address] and the surrounding area, the proposed external alterations would not appear jarring or out of character.

Moreover, a Certificate of Lawfulness (24/00195/CPL) has previously been approved for painting the exterior of No 63. If carried out, these works would alter the appearance of the appeal property by covering the brickwork. Notwithstanding that the proposal includes both render and a panel of cladding to the exterior walls, in my view the use of paint or render in this location would have a similar appearance within the street scene. I am not convinced by the Council’s evidence that the extent of the proposed rendering and cladding would unacceptably alter the property's appearance.

I conclude that the proposed alterations would not harm the appearance of the host property and would have a satisfactory appearance within the street scene. The proposal would sufficiently respect and reflect the local character and therefore complies with Policy 40 ([name]) of The Borough of Redditch Local Plan No. 4 and the [name].

For the reasons set out above and having regard to all other matters raised, the appeal is allowed.

The hereby approved external materials are indicated on the planning application form and are therefore within the terms of the original application. I have included a condition identifying the approved drawings for the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.